The fact that the new type of coronavirus epidemic has reached a global dimension has also led to an increase in demand for respiratory devices in the world. The need for ventilators, nebulizers and oxygen concentrators manufactured by domestic companies is also increasing in our country. Medtech, which was founded in 2017 and has 168 dealers in Türkiye, stands out with the respiratory therapy devices it manufactures. We talked about the company’s activities with Medtech General Manager Tugce Yeni Aydin, who stated that they aim to become one of the export giants in Türkiye in the next 10 years.
Can you please introduce yourself?
I’m an Electronics Engineer. I studied at Yeditepe University with a 100% scholarship. I founded Medtech in January 2017. I have been actively responsible for management and production in the company since its establishment.
Can you give information about Medtech?
I founded Medtech with the support of KOSGEB R&D. After continuing R&D studies for about 1 year, we started mass production for the first time in November 2017. We manufacture respiratory therapy devices as 6 different models. We have 168 dealers in Türkiye. We are selling both in Türkiye and in the world, and increasing our market share every year.
What is included in your product range?
We have 6 models of products: CPAP, AUTOCPAP, BiLEVEL, BiLEVEL ST, VTAP (Volume Target Auto Pressure) and ASV (Adaptive Servo ventilator). Our models up to BiLEVEL are used for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), which involves breathing interruptions of 10 seconds or more during sleep, as well as breathing disorders such as snoring. BiLEVEL and above models, on the other hand, are devices rather preferred for intensive care. After a while, when the patient’s lung stops working efficiently, these devices act as a kind of lung. The indications of all models were published separately in the SUT (Health Applications Communiqué) and the purposes of use were defined.
Are all the R&D processes of your products entirely your responsibility?
During our R&D efforts of about 1 year, we designed all the units of the device. The software was also completely developed by us. The main aspect that determines the value of these devices and ensures their correct operation is the software anyway. For this, I also received help from my esteemed teachers from the university. In addition to the software, which was completely developed by us, the control board and the design of the device also belong to us.
The coronavirus has also increased the demand for this type of device. What are the national and international goals of Medtech?
As Medtech, our national goal was “domestic production” at first. “Made in China” devices available on the market were insufficient in terms of quality, while “Made in U.S.” devices were very expensive. Our goal was to develop an affordable and well-functioning device by ensuring a balance between these two. We have achieved our first goal as we are making domestic production now. Since the product is a device intended for patient comfort, the device needs to be constantly improved. Therefore, expanding and finalizing the R&D studies of the device and becoming the best in domestic production are among our priorities. As you also mentioned, there is a “big cake” at global market. However, the number of companies sharing this cake is quite small. We are talking about a market worth $17B. Of course, our goal is to get a share from this market. We want to be able to compete with global companies.
Do you have a product whose patent belongs to you?
The first manufacturing of these devices goes back to the past. This is not the first time we have done this, but the main thing about it is software and patenting. The companies that manufacture these devices necessarily add a special feature and get a patent. There is also a special system that we have developed for Flow measurement. A patent application has been filed for this. Currently, preliminary examination for them has been completed and we think it will be approved soon, as there are no obstacles or conflicts.
Which of your products have increased in demand during the coronavirus period?
The World Health Organization has issued a publication during the Covid-19 period. In this publication, WHO stated that BiLEVEL, ST and VTAP devices can be used for Covid-19 treatment. Upon this publication, there was an increase in demand, especially for these 3 device models. We were able to ship for a while before the export ban, but after the export ban we were unable to respond to these global demands. On the other hand, there was no increase in demand for this group of devices in Türkiye, as they were not widely known.
“We have 6 models of products: CPAP, AUTOCPAP, BiLEVEL, BiLEVEL ST, VTAP (Volume Target Auto Pressure) and ASV (Adaptive Servo ventilator).”
Which foreign markets are you targeting?
We have been exporting our products for 2 years. The average sales figures of each group are close to each other. While we export mainly intensive care related products to some countries, we also send CPAP group to other countries. Among the countries we provide distributorship to are Pakistan, Egypt, Bulgaria, Jordan, Spain, Albania, Austria, Malaysia and Russia. We are continuing our negotiations with all countries in addition to these. One of our goals is to work with Middle Eastern countries, especially during the global coronavirus epidemic. Besides, we aim to work harder to increase our global market share and even to open new branches in some countries.
Will your product groups expand?
First of all, we aim to not to stay with just one product in the respiratory group. Our first goal is to expand our product range in the ventilator, nebulizer and oxygen concentrator groups, complete our R&D studies and start production.
“Among the countries we provide distributorship to are Pakistan, Egypt, Bulgaria, Jordan, Spain, Albania, Austria, Malaysia and Russia.”
How has the coronavirus period affected you?
Our new investments were specifically aimed at the development of respiratory devices and the R&D of new products to be added. However, Covid-19, which has affected the whole world, has also affected us negatively. We want to get through this process with slower movements, stop the investments for a while and calmly continue on our way. During these days, when the process slows down, our investments will start to increase.
How do you differ from your competitors? What do you see as your competitive advantages?
Our global competitors are giant brands in their fields, such as Philips. However, reflecting this brand value on the product is also quite high. Their products are very expensive and many people cannot afford it. However, being healthy is actually everyone’s right. We add all the features to the device and offer it at more affordable prices, without missing any aspect from the devices of leading global companies. Also, Chinese companies, our other competitors, offer much lower prices than us, but they manufacture devices that are of very low quality and have a shorter service life. Our devices, on the other hand, are of high quality. In the last 2 years, the ratio of our technical service requirement has not even reached 3%. This clearly shows our quality. Besides all these, our devices are fully covered by SSI compensation in Türkiye. We ensure that everyone has access to medical devices and quality healthcare services without having to pay more than the SSI compensation.
Where do you think your industry will go in the next 10 years? What are your predictions?
Our respiratory therapy group is a specific group that is very little known both in Türkiye and in the world. The only benefit of the Covid 19 pandemic to us was that these devices are now recognized by all people. Previously, when I said that I was manufacturing respiratory therapy devices, I had to explain to people what these devices were used for, but now I see that everyone knows these devices. Most countries have just started working on this issue. I think this market will continue to grow in the coming years. It may be 20 years before it reaches a satisfaction point. During this process, all countries are reorganizing their health systems for these groups. It takes about 5 years for the devices to be learned and disseminated by countries. In this process, we are also offering our support to other countries. In the next 5 years, we expect active and intensive sales. Our goal in the next 10 years is to become one of the export giants in our country by generating 80% or more of our annual turnover from exports.
“We offer devices at affordable prices without compromising on quality.”
